Beer coil apparatus



Nov. 22, 1938. w, F MAYER I 2,137,297

BEER COIL APPARATUS Filed Oct. 15, 1937 Patented Nov. 22, 1938 ATENT OFFICE BEER COIL APPARATUS Willi F. Mayer, Chicago, 111.

Application October 15, 1937, Serial No.169,240

2 Claims.

It is customary in dispensing tap beer commercially to insert a Cooling coil between the dispensing outlet or spigot and the beer barrel, and it is likewise Customary to provide between the said cooling coil and the spigot a second cooling' coil having a smaller diameter than the said first-named or larger coil, and the purpose of this smaller coil is well understood in the art. It may be stated, however, by way of explanation, that this smaller coil, among other things,

. prevents thetap beer from flowing .too rapidly, that is, surging from the beer barrel to the spigot, especially when the spigot is first opened during the dispensing operation, thus preventing exl 5 cessive foaming of the beer as it is dispensed from the spigot and consequent excessive loss of the gas dissolved in the beer and corresponding loss in the taste and tang, which is due, to a large extent, to the presence of the dissolved gas, such 20 as carbon dioxide, in the beer.

However, the use of two cooling coils of different diameters together has involved considerable difliculty in cleaning the same. It is to be noted, in this connection, that one of these difficulties 25 is due in part to the fact that it is customary to clean such cooling coils by forcing an elongated cylindrical sponge rubber swab through the same. It is apparent, however, that a sponge rubber swab which will clean the smaller coil is of no 30 use in cleaning the larger coil, because it will not contact the walls of the latter, and hence it has been necessary, and customary practice, in the art, to detach the smaller coil from the larger coil and then clean the two coils separately.

35 This practice is, however, costly from the standpoint of both time and labor involved.

Accordingly, an important object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved cooling coil unit in the use of which both the 40 smaller cooling coil and the larger cooling coil may be readily cleaned Without being disconnected from each other or removed from position of use. 1

Another object of the present invention is to 45 provide a novel member for interconnecting the large and small coils'of a beer cooling apparatus together in such a manner that both of the said coils may be cleaned without separating or detaching them from each other and without re- 50 moving them from position of use.

An additional object of the present invention is to provide a novel member for connecting the large and small coils of a beer cooling apparatus together and to a spigot in such a manner that 55 both of the said coils may be cleaned without separating or detachingthem from each other or from the said spigot.

A further object of theinvention is to provide a novel cooling coil unit comprising a small cooling coil, a casing, preferably cylindrical in form, 5 enclosing the said small coil, and a member arranged upon the said casing for connecting the said small coil to a larger coil and to a spigot in such a manner that both of the said coils may be cleaned without separating or detaching them 10 from each other or from the said spigot.

Fig. 1 is afragmentary side elevational View, partly in section, of a beer-cooling coil and dispensing unit embodying a preferred form of the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a central vertical sectional View of the new cooling coil unit, on line 2--2 in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary sectional View on line 3--3 in Fig. 2; and

Fig. 4 is a transverse sectional view on line 4-4 in Fig. 3.

A preferred form of the new cooling coil unit is shown in the drawing, is therein generally indicated at II and is shown as being associated with and embodied in a beer cooling coil and dispensing apparatus which includes a relatively large coil II, which is arranged in a coil box 12. This larger coil His connected, at its lower end, by a beer hose or pipe [3, to a beer barrel which is indicated at M, and mounted in the front wall 15 of the coil box I2 is a dispensing outlet or spigot It.

The new cooling coil unit H] includes a substantially and preferably, though not necessarily, cylindrical casing or housing H which may be made of any suitable material such, for example, as a metal such as brass, and arranged in this casing l1 is-a relatively small coil it which is smaller in diameter than the main or large coil I l.

The new cooling coil unit Ill includes an interconnecting member, which is generally indicated at l9, and this member iii includes a body 20, which is preferably made of a smooth metal, and this member 2!] includes a lower end portion 21 which is arranged upon and connected to the upper end portion of the casing ll in any suitable manner, as by being threaded into the same.

Formed in the member l92ll is a transversely extending passage 29 and also formed on the member I 92li, at opposite sides thereof, are two externally threaded bosses or nipples 22 and 23, the threads of which are made of standard sizes so that a beer cleaners hose of standard size may be connected thereto. The upper end convolution of the large coil II is attached, as

shown, to the nipple 23, by means of a coupling ring 24, and the nipple 22 is normally closed by a closure member or cap 25 which is detachably threaded onto the same.

Likewise formed in the member I9-29 is a curved passage 26 (Fig. 3) which is independent of the said first-named passage 29 and extends substantially at right angles to the latter. The upper end of this passage 26 is connected to the rear shank or end portion 21 of the dispensing outlet or spigot I6, and the lower end of this passage 26 is connected to end portion 28 of the small coil I8 which is inserted into the lower end portion of the passage 26 and is secured therein in any suitable manner, as by soldering or the like.

It will be noted (Fig. 3) that the other end portion 30 of the small coil I8 is inserted into, and is secured in any suitable manner, as by soldering, in the lower end portion of a branch passage 30 which is formed in the member I 9-20, this branch passage 30 leading from the said other end of the small coil I8 to the transverse passage 29.

In the use of the new cooling coil unit ID the same is installed in position of use, in the cooling coil box I2, as shown. and when therein it is preferably placed, as shown in Fig. 1, in front of the large coil I I and between the latter and the front wall I5 of the coil box I2 so as to facilitate attaching the spigot I6 thereto, and the upper end convolution of the large coil II is attached to the nipple 23 on the member I920 by the coupling ring 28, as shown.

Accordingly, when the dispensing outlet or spigot I6 is opened, during the dispensing operation, beer will flow from the barrel I l', up through the pipe I3, through the large cooling coil II, thence into the interconnecting member I 9--2Il, by way of the inlet 23 and passage 29, thence through the branch 30 into the small cooling coil I8, through the latter, and thence into the curved passage 26 from which it-will flow to the spigot l6.

However, when it is desired to clean the large coil I I this may be accomplished, without disconnecting the large coil and the small coil from each other or from the spigot, by simply shutting oil the supply of beer to the large coil I I, removing the closure member or cap 25 from the threaded nipple or boss 22, then inserting a long sponge rubber swab into the transverse passage 29, by way of the nipple 22, and then forcing the said swab or cleaning element through the large coil I I so as to clean the latter.

It will be understood that the same general procedure, as outlined above, may also be followed if it is desired to clean the large coil II with steam, chemicals, or other fluids, rather than with the elongated rubber swab used by beer coil cleaners, since any of such cleaning fluids may be forced into the large coil II, without disconnecting the latter from the small coil I8, by merely unscrewing the closure member cap 25 and attaching the end of a standard beer cleaners hose to the threaded nipple or boss 22, whereupon a cleaning fluid, such, for example, as steam, may be forced through the passage 29 and into and through the large coil II, without disconnecting the large coil II from the small coil I8, and without removing the cooling coil unit I0 from its position of use.

It will be noted that during this operation of cleaning the large coil II the transverse passage 29 acts as a by-pass, that is, it permits the cleaning swab or fluid to be inserted into the large coil II past the small coil I 8.

When it is desired to clean the small coil I8 this may be accomplished by removing the closure member or cap 25, shutting off the beer supply to the cooling coils II and I8, opening the spigot I6, and then inserting the aforesaid beer coil cleaners rubber swab through the spigot I6 into the passage 26, and thence into and through the small coil I8, and finally out of the latter by way of the branch passage 30, the transverse passage 29, and the nipple 22.

Likewise, if it is desired to clean the small coil I8 by means of steam, chemicals, or other cleaning fluids, this may be accomplished by forcing such fluids through the spigot I6, down the passage 26, then into and through the small coil I8, thence into the branch 30, and finally into the transverse passage 29, from which the said cleaning fluid may be allowed to escape by detaching the closure member or cap 25.

If desired, the small coil I8 may be embedded and fixed in position of use in the casing I! by means of cement or concrete, or other suitable filling material, and when such material is so used it is found to have a cooling effect on the beer passing through the small coil I8.

It will be seen, therefore, from the foregoing description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, that the present invention provides a new and improved small cooling coil unit and interconnecting member for attaching the same to the large cooling coil and spigot, and that in the use of the new cooling coil unit and member both the small coil I8 and the large coil II may be cleaned without being disconnected from each other or from the spigot and without removing the new cooling coil unit and interconnecting member from their position of use.

I claim:

1. A device for interconnecting two cooling coils together, said device including a body having a passage formed therein and extending therethrough, the said passage being adapted to have one end of one of the said coils connected thereto and the other end portion of the said passage being adapted to have a closure member removably attached thereto, so as normally to close the same, said device also having a second passage formed therein. one end portion of the said second-named passage being adapted to be connected to a fluid dispensing outlet or spigot, and the other end portion of the said second-named passage being adapted to be connected to one end of the other one of the said coils, the said device likewise having a branch passage formed therein, the said branch passage having communication at one end with the said first-named passage, between the ends of the latter, and being adapted to have the other end of the said second-named or other one of said coils connected to its other end.

2. A device for interconnecting two cooling coils together, said device including a body having a passage formed therein and extending therethrough, the said passage being adapted to have one end of one of the said coils connected thereto and the other end portion of the said passage being adapted to have a closure member removably attached thereto, so as normally to close the same, said device also having a second passage formed therein, the said second passage being independent of the said first-named passage and extending in a direction substantially at right angles to the latter, one end portion of the said second-named passage being adapted to be connected to a fluid dispensing outlet or spigot, and the other end portion of the said second-named passage being adapted to be connected to one end of the other one of the said coils, the said device likewise having a branch passage formed therein, the said branch passage having com- 

